Grueling Tour de Korea Starts Sunday in Incheon

The 2012 Tour de Korea, the nation's biggest road cycling race, kicks off in Incheon on Sunday for an eight-day run. It will bring together 132 professional athletes in 22 teams registered with the International Cycling Union (UCI), who will compete for prizes worth a total of W300 million (US$1=W1,138). Some 200 amateurs will also participate in the event's club division.

The favored candidates in the individual competition are Mike Friedman of the U.S., who won the race in 2010, and Hong Kong's Choi Ki Ho, last year's winner. In the team event, Team Type 1 of the U.S. hopes to successfully defend its title this year. Other strong candidates include Russia's Rusvelo, a first-time participant, and Champion System Pro of China.

The race covers more than 1,800 km encompassing eight cities across the nation, such as Buyeo in South Chungcheong Province and the southwestern city of Gwangju, before ending in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, on April 29.